Sportsman's slang; a new dictionary of terms used in the affairs of the turf, the ring, the chase and the cock-pit, with those of bon-ton and the varieties of life / interspersed with anecdotes and whimsies, with tart quotations and rum-ones, with examples, proofs and monitory precepts, useful and proper for novices, flats and yokels, by Jon Bee [pseud].
- John Badcock
- Date:
- 1825
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Sportsman's slang; a new dictionary of terms used in the affairs of the turf, the ring, the chase and the cock-pit, with those of bon-ton and the varieties of life / interspersed with anecdotes and whimsies, with tart quotations and rum-ones, with examples, proofs and monitory precepts, useful and proper for novices, flats and yokels, by Jon Bee [pseud]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![Cock-Pit, at the Chase, in the Ring, or on theTurf,now fighting his cross-bred canine, now baiting the badger; occasionally, he frequents the haunts of Bon-ton, and during the sprees of Town-life he must see much of those Varieties which alone render this life supportable. Would it not be strange, then, if the language, the terms of art, and go-by phrases, used among; one set of sportsmen, were not introduced to, and grafted upon another set? and thus produce a new series of combinations in our language, quite worthy of being marked and exemplified at this day, when many an old English sport is passing away, to make room for the sleek-headed age of decrepitude and toad-eating slavery! On the other hand, where secrecy is sought for a cant language, whose existence is dangerous, the necessity of disclosure must be obvious; even when comparatively innocent in its effects, the investigation of its origin and derivation is at least curious, if not instructive, for in this we may discern, with Monboddo, “ the origin of languages.” Many a critic will see, or fancy he can perceive, in the mode of illustration here adopted, some resemblance to that of other glossarists : be it so ; but the mighty affair must be referred to some likeness of longer standing than the present century comes to.* Let him be informed, that collections were made towards this volume, from the day that Clarke’s edition of Grose first appeared (1811;) and finally, these pages have been at press from the 6th November to May, as may be gathered from many a temporary passage ; therefore no modern compiler will please have the arrogance to consider himself consulted, as to what passeth in the present select • Talking of likenesses, the authour would have put his'n, facing the frontispiece, for the amusement of his readers, after the example of half a dozen other great penmen, [viz. Sir C. Alldis, the opposing Sir Cooper Daniel, and his friend Jack Cole; Mr. Evil Prince, Jemmy Asperne, and Parson White,] but that one Jones, (a fellow not known to the present quillman from Adam,) hath already forestalled the market in this respect, and fixed it up in effigie facing a book of blindman’s type, writing thereon Shakspeare,” by way of hoax. Vanity! Vanity!! Allis vanity. Furthermore, would the student in Balatronic lore learn aught of the authour’s birth, parentage, and education, his life, character, and all that sort of thing, will he not find it all written out at large in the first Book of Fancies, page 128 ? The reading twenty lines of auto-biography, will not be time thrown away in drawing together more closely the ties that ought to exist between a reader and his authour. Sam Coleridge drew upon patience much larger bills than this: Idem ( Biograph. Liter aria?](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29298453_0020.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
